September - Spring? ... nearly ....

I had high hopes for beautiful warm Spring weather for yesterday's Market.... it wasn't quite to be ... but luckily we had space inside for everyone to come in - it was a very packed market and, with the help of Ralphe's melodious busking, it was a great atmosphere.

Now is the time to turn our thoughts to the coming crazy season - as we get closer to Christmas.  I know all you wonderful stallholders are already thinking about your seasonal stock and wanting to get the next few months planned and bookings locked in.

So, over on the sellers' page I have just opened bookings for the Devonport Markets for the rest of the year.  I have had lots of enquiries already so I know they are going to be popular - so don't delay, get your bookings in.

I'm also very excited to have, once again, been allocated some space at the Devonport Christmas Festival - the link to the booking form for this event is also on the Sellers' page - it promises to be a very well attended event - upwards of 4,000 people.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself ... the next Market will be on 8th October - this market will have a distinctly Halloween theme - feel free to dress yourself, and your stall, in a Halloween manner if you wish - if you are planning some special Halloween stock please don't forget to send me some photos so I can include them in the marketing ... 

August - Great Feedback from Sellers and Customers Alike

Yesterday saw us back at Devonport Community House for a fantastic Market.  I had great feedback from lots of the wonderful stallholders and quite a few new faces - who will hopefully come back and join us again.

I also had lots of lovely compliments from customers too.  They particularly liked the mix of different types of stalls and so many stayed around to enjoy lunch with us that Mama Yoyas, our amazing Mexican Food seller sold out completely.

A couple of our regular stall holders were struck down with the flu and weren't able to come along yesterday - so I hope they have a quick recovery and will be back with us in September.

Join us next month for our first Market of Spring - I can't wait for that warmer weather to start!

July in Devonport

It was a day of wondering what the weather would do for the July Devonport Market - we had almost been washed away by the amount of rain falling on the peninsula during the last week - but luckily for us the rain held off for most of the day - there was even a rumour that the sun shone, for a while at least!

Once again the kitchen was filled with a local group raising funds - this time we welcomed folk from St Leo's School who, although small in number, are clearly mighty in determination to raise money for their netball team goal poles.  They kept us well supplied with hot soup and cake and, I hope, raised some of the funds to get them closer to their target.

I always love the mix and variety of stall holders who apply to come to Devonport - and once again we had a lovely group of stall holders at the July market.  I was thrilled that we had some ceramic artists this month - as we don't often have this type of art - and very lovely it was too.

We were wary of the weather and crammed most of the stalls into the hall this month - which made for a brilliant atmosphere - and some of the stall holders had some great ideas for making the most of the space next month .... it's great to receive feedback to help make each market even better than the last.

Here's looking forward to August at the Market - hoping to see lots of our regulars, and maybe even some new stall holders coming along ... watch this space!

Busy Market Day Today

We had another great Winter Market day in Devonport today.  The weather was with us - the hardy stall holders out front were blessed with a bit of sunshine on this crisp winter's day.  I took my hat off to them (from the warm interior of the Community House) for their staying power - luckily we had the delicious homemade hot soup on hand from the wonderful fundraisers from Takarunga Playcentre.

I love the sunshine .. after all, it was in the brochure that tempted our family to move here from UK a few years ago .. however, I do love the Winter markets in Devonport - when we squish into the hall and keep warm.  It's lovely having the busker indoors too - creating a great atmosphere for stallholders and customers alike.

Ralphe, our busker today, is a regular at our Market - and what an amazing voice he has - it sets just the right tone for the Market - lots of compliments for the fantastic job he did today - have a listen to his work on his website - www.ralphe.co.nz.

We had a couple of newcomers at today's Market - helping to offer a wide range of wonderful and unique items to our customers.  I was also approached by several potential new stall holders who had come to check us out to see if they might join us in the future.  All in all it was a great day for catching up with old friends and starting to make some new ones too.

Can't wait for the next one now!

Hustle Bustle - Made a Great Market.

Wow!  What an amazing Mothers' Day Market we had in Devonport yesterday .... I was so blown away (and a bit run off my feet) that I'm only, now, getting to the computer to write this.

I had a great day shopping from the wonderful array of stalls with so many unique and wonderful items - I know, I know, I'm not supposed to be there to buy stuff .. but, you know .. in the name of 'testing' I was only too happy to try things out.

I bought an absolutely amazing scale-mail necklace, a padded cover for my laptop, a hand sewn tactile giraffe for my granddaughter and some beeswax wraps .. now proudly wrapped around today's packed lunch.

It was a wonderful bustling market day at the Community House ... now I just can't wait for the next one - lots of stall holders have signed up already!!

Sunshine Day in Devonport

Well that was the March Market - and what a great one it was.  

Thoughts are turning to the Easter Holidays so every visitor and stall holder at the market today got a free entry into a draw to win a lovely selection of Easter chocs from Devonport Chocolates, just around the corner from the Market on Wynyard Street.

The lucky winner was a customer who had travelled from Glenfield to visit the Market today - so I'll be dropping their prize up to them on Tuesday.

It was also interesting, today, to use the draw tickets as a way of asking a couple of questions of our customers - I'm pleased to say that none of the draw participants ticked the 'no' box in answer to the question "Are you enjoying the Market today?" - phew - it's good to know that people who come along really enjoy the experience.  

It was also interesting to discover that roughly 50% of Market customers live in Devonport and 50% elsewhere - and that those who travelled from outside of Devonport, mostly heard about the Market via Eventfinda; although replies stating they have seen our Facebook page were also significant too.  All food for thought when planning future marketing.

Looking forward to the May Market - the timing is fab as 14th May is not only the next Market, but also Mothers' Day in NZ.  That gives lots of reasons to bring Mums down to Devonport to visit the Market and be treated ... or for anyone else to come down and be treated too .. share the love I say!!

Hope to see you at the next Market on 14th May.

Building an Ark...

That's what we should have been doing today, instead of having a Market.  My goodness, that rain poured and poured and poured.  The perseverance award for the day has to go to Terry from Timberworks who stuck it out in his gazebo and made plans for improving his waterproofing.  Also to John our Shot Coffee man who brought his van closer and closer until we thought he might be coming inside with us!

Undeterred by the awful weather we cosied up closer and I got the chance to have a chat with just about all of the sellers - I love hearing the stories of how everyone got into their craft and hearing ideas for the market.

So today was very much about getting to know people and making new friends.  It was great to welcome some new faces to the market today - as well as catching up with some familiar ones too.

I'm full of ideas for the next one ... I can't wait for April!!

Hope to see you there .... don't forget ... Sunday 9th April, 10am to 2pm - it's the week before Easter and I'm sure there will be some wonderful Easter treats to tempt you.

So now I know what it's all about ..... well, maybe a little!!!

Crikey, how did Sarah make it all look such a breeze .... so yesterday was my first Market and what a day it was.  Huge thanks have to go to all the stallholders who kept me on the straight and narrow and made sure I was on the right track.

I am so looking forward to the next Market on Sunday, 12th March - lots of stallholders have already expressed an interest in coming along and I'm looking forward to welcoming even more sellers and customers than before.

Applications are now open  - follow the relevant link here:

Maker's Application Form

Food Vendor's Application Form

Applications close at 5pm on Saturday 18th February

New Year ... New Faces ...

I hope you all had a wonderful break and are feeling well rested and ready for a great 2017.

Firstly, an introduction - my name is Nikki, and I have recently taken over the running of the market from Sarah, who has done a wonderful job ... I hope I can live up to her high standards!

I have met some of the sellers at the 2016 markets - I've manned the Devonport Community Garden stall a few times, outside in the carpark - trying to tempt the market customers with some of the Community Garden home grown veg.  I've ventured into the hall many times and have always been impressed by the wonderful stalls and amazing standard of your wonderful crafts.  I'm looking forward to getting to know you all and working with you to continue to present great markets to our customers during 2017.

Applications for the 12 February market are now open - the closing date is 14 January at 5pm.  

Link to Application Form for Makers

Link to Application Form for Food Vendors